Kevin Purdy

The Positivity Blog says there's a simple but forgotten method of building rapport, or establishing a good connection, before you start off on any important conversation:

Just before the meeting, you just think that you'll be meeting a good friend. Then you'll naturally slip into a more comfortable, confident and enjoyable emotional state and frame of mind.
This also helps you and the other people to set a good frame for the interaction.... The thing is that the frame that is set in the beginning of the conversation is often one that may stay on for a while. First impressions last.

Of course, you may not always want to pretend you're meeting with Cousin Steve when you're heading into, say, a job interview, so the author suggests imagining how a previous, successful meeting went just before stepping in. Have your own mental reassurance hacks for striking up chatter? Share 'em in the comments. Photo by polandeze.